Ok so been working on my 26s and having a ball doing it. Now I have a question about setting up the running rigging for single handed enjoyment. My current setup I believe is basically stock winches on either side of popup top. With cam locks close to these. Looks like have 1 for furler line and 1 for jib halyard on port, 1 on each side for genoa sheets, and 1 for single line reefing and main halyard on starboard. As these are very old and worn they need to be replaced. I have some experience sailing but not on this boat. So with the combined superior experience please educate me on the best changes or upgrades I can make too make this an easy single hand boat. Also not sure if it make a difference but will be used on inland lakes in Tx. Thanx
Single hand Setup
- Thread starter Bryan L Collins
- Start date
stop. go slow. go sail. drink a beer. sleep on it. it's worn but works. it's going to take a few year to tune it. don't buy ready made sheets. maybe two years from now you will be done replacing that. it's best to relax and enjoy, learn the boat's sensations. Maybe at year 3 start thinkinging to tune the rig, mast to 5 degrees aft. buy some new sails at year 4. goal is to relax and enjoy. somewhere in that time line get a tiller pilot.
In the winch world old does not mean done. (As opposed to the wench world.) Chances are excellent that you can clean them up, regrease them and maybe replace a few pawls or springs and have more than adequate winches for your use. New or even used winches eat up a lot of Benjamins.
My winches are fine and actualy have the spare parts and grease to rebuild. I guess not having sailed in this boat I am having trouble visualizing performing a tack with the cam cleats forward (sorry auto correct made it cam lock in original post) and the tiller aft. Maybe Tortugas Royal is right. I need a single malt scotch go sailing and quit worrying (not necessarily in that order). My inexperience with sailing is showing I guess. But it don't hurt to ask the questions, but might if I don't
I am currently only doing safety related stuff to the boat to get it ready with cleanup. Want to use it with the wife for a year or so before making some of the bigger comfort related stuff and other mods. I do appreciate all input though thanks for all of it.
I am currently only doing safety related stuff to the boat to get it ready with cleanup. Want to use it with the wife for a year or so before making some of the bigger comfort related stuff and other mods. I do appreciate all input though thanks for all of it.
Yep that might work. That is kinda what I was looking for. How is it being done by you guys that single hand alot or what setups are ya'll using.
Tillermate autopilot system (many on Ebay) reasonably priced and very effective for single handing.
If I understand the design of the boat correctly, you basically have a rather wide cabin top with virtually no side deck. Thus your genoa sheets will be led aft on the cabin top. Your set-up seems pretty basic so there really shouldn't be a need for changes until you sail for awhile and understand how you move about the boat. Then you can make better choices. There is usually more than one way to skin a cat and so it is with boats. A lot depends upon your individual style of sailing. When you say "these are very old and worn" are you talking about the cam cleats or the lines? There is no reason not to replace all the running rigging that you desire. New sheets are always nice! If the cam cleats are not functioning well, some will say equipment like that is always salvageable with some care. Others prefer to upgrade with the latest technology. To many, it depends on the wallet. I'd suggest that you consider clutches, mounted ahead of the winches, for the halyards, furler line and reefing. Cleats (cam) will work best for the adjustable lines such as genoa sheets and other control lines.
I had the Mac26S for about 10 years. I think if you want to single hand more easily, the tiller extension mentioned would be the best bang for the buck. I led all lines aft using clutches, deck organizers and mast plate, but like Scott says, they are still out of reach from the tiller. Good for keeping the crew in the cockpit though. Try the extension first. Replace your worn sheets. They will probably remain the same length unless you move your winches. Cheaper and more fun to bring along a winch wench instead!
If you plan to single hand a lot, or sail with inexperienced crew, your first priority is a way to keep the tiller fixed if you need to use both hands for another job... such as grinding and tailing a winch to get your sails up. At the very least you need to learn how to steer with the tiller between your legs, using your knees to control it. This technique will allow you to tack the boat with both hands free to handle the sheets. There are devices such as the tiller tamer, that allow you to lock the tiller in place quickly... but they will not steer the boat for you... so you may wish to invest in an electronic tiller pilot.
Also top priority is a harness and tether... to keep you attached to the boat... VERY IMPORTANT.
Finally, I urge you to acquire a waterproof handheld vhf radio that you can clip to your person.... rather than rely on a cell phone...
Locating your rigging back to the cockpit is common strategy... clutches are nice....but can be pricey and may not be justified. So if you have adequate cam cleats... stick with them. Jam and vee cleats work well also. The most important thing to remember is to NOT equip you headsail cleats with fairleads.. or any other restrictive accessory... so you can quickly free them up to unload the winch.
Also top priority is a harness and tether... to keep you attached to the boat... VERY IMPORTANT.
Finally, I urge you to acquire a waterproof handheld vhf radio that you can clip to your person.... rather than rely on a cell phone...
Locating your rigging back to the cockpit is common strategy... clutches are nice....but can be pricey and may not be justified. So if you have adequate cam cleats... stick with them. Jam and vee cleats work well also. The most important thing to remember is to NOT equip you headsail cleats with fairleads.. or any other restrictive accessory... so you can quickly free them up to unload the winch.
With my old boat, I had a cleat mounted to the under side of the tiller. I loop the dock line around it and between the two dock cleats. This keeps the tiller positioned wherever I put it. That allowed me to throw the tiller one direction, and then go mess with the sheets. Poor mans Tiller Tamer. On my current boat, I use a tiller pilot I bought on Ebay for less than 100 bucks. That is my second best purchase for the boat. Not only does it help when tacking, but it also allows me to relax and not think about steering the boat. I get to become a passenger on my own boat.
Ditto on the tiller pilot. ST2000, should of done this years ago. Makes single handing an easy deal.
With a furler now I only have to go to the mast to raise/lower/reef (single line) the main and still don't have a problem going that far forward.
Lazy Jacks and the sail-pack makes it a quick and easy job to drop or reef the main ...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-index.html
and ...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-canvas/canvas-9.html
Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
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I single hand my 26S most of the time and what I do depends on my setup somewhat. I have a 110 furling jib so the jib sheets are on the top of the cabin on each side of the companionway. I also have a windward sheeting traveler.
When single handing, I sit forward on the seats because my traveler gets a lot of use. In order to sit forward, you need a tiller extension.
You also need some way to hold the tiller in a fixed position and there are a variety of ways to do this.. My tiller extension is telescoping with a ball on the end and I have a "socket" on the companionway lid that the ball fits into so I can hold the tiller in any position. Take a look also at a tiller clutch or a tiller tamer.
There is a technique called "heaving to" that you should definitely google and study then practice. Heave to works well at least on my setup (same boat as the OP). Heave to involves the jib, centerboard and rudder leaving the main sail "free" while the boat drifts at maybe 1.5 knots or less. Very useful for single handing.
I think sailing the boat is fairly straight forward.. with the tiller extension you have access to all the controls (in my case jib sheets, main sheet, traveler, vang, outhaul and back stay tension). Some techniques for the other stuff you will have to do..
Initial raising / setting up the main - with the outboard running and in gear (and no jib yet), get the boat going straight into the wind and lock the tiller. You will have some time to go forward for setting up the main. Some people like the halyards and reefing lines led back to the cockpit. I just prefer to do up to the mast for both setting up the main sail and reefing it. Having the outboard running will normally give you more time before the boat starts to drift off from straight into the wind. It may take a couple of iterations of setting the boat into the wind and messing with the main to get it set up correctly.
An alternate to this that I have only tried once in fairly high wind. Put the jib up first and get the boat in heave to. Someone will tell you that this cant be done without the main.. but I have actually done it. With the boat in heave to and drifting slightly, set up the main.
For reefing the main or shaking out a reef on the main - put the boat in heave to. The main sheet will be loose and its a fairly relaxed process to now go deal with the main sail as the boat is slowly drifting.
Dropping the main - either put the boat in heave to with the jib up then drop the main or furl the jib, start the outboard, put the boat in gear and pointed into the wind.. just the opposite of setup.
Couple pictures below.. I moved my tiller extension to the very end of the tiller this season for max leverage. The extension is telescopic with a ball / socket so I can set the length, twist lock it for any tiller position. See tiller clutch also.
picture below - Since I have a 110 jib, the jib sheet cleat on the port side can be seen in the picture below and I really like those "extreme angle" fairleads for the cam cleats. Reason is that you are often sitting on the upwind side of the boat but the jib sheet you may need to control is on the downwind side of the boat. Not completely perfect.. but I think a nice addition for single handing. FYI, you really dont need the winch for the 110 jib.. Two cleat in that picture, one is the jib sheet, the other is the vang.
When single handing, I sit forward on the seats because my traveler gets a lot of use. In order to sit forward, you need a tiller extension.
You also need some way to hold the tiller in a fixed position and there are a variety of ways to do this.. My tiller extension is telescoping with a ball on the end and I have a "socket" on the companionway lid that the ball fits into so I can hold the tiller in any position. Take a look also at a tiller clutch or a tiller tamer.
There is a technique called "heaving to" that you should definitely google and study then practice. Heave to works well at least on my setup (same boat as the OP). Heave to involves the jib, centerboard and rudder leaving the main sail "free" while the boat drifts at maybe 1.5 knots or less. Very useful for single handing.
I think sailing the boat is fairly straight forward.. with the tiller extension you have access to all the controls (in my case jib sheets, main sheet, traveler, vang, outhaul and back stay tension). Some techniques for the other stuff you will have to do..
Initial raising / setting up the main - with the outboard running and in gear (and no jib yet), get the boat going straight into the wind and lock the tiller. You will have some time to go forward for setting up the main. Some people like the halyards and reefing lines led back to the cockpit. I just prefer to do up to the mast for both setting up the main sail and reefing it. Having the outboard running will normally give you more time before the boat starts to drift off from straight into the wind. It may take a couple of iterations of setting the boat into the wind and messing with the main to get it set up correctly.
An alternate to this that I have only tried once in fairly high wind. Put the jib up first and get the boat in heave to. Someone will tell you that this cant be done without the main.. but I have actually done it. With the boat in heave to and drifting slightly, set up the main.
For reefing the main or shaking out a reef on the main - put the boat in heave to. The main sheet will be loose and its a fairly relaxed process to now go deal with the main sail as the boat is slowly drifting.
Dropping the main - either put the boat in heave to with the jib up then drop the main or furl the jib, start the outboard, put the boat in gear and pointed into the wind.. just the opposite of setup.
Couple pictures below.. I moved my tiller extension to the very end of the tiller this season for max leverage. The extension is telescopic with a ball / socket so I can set the length, twist lock it for any tiller position. See tiller clutch also.
picture below - Since I have a 110 jib, the jib sheet cleat on the port side can be seen in the picture below and I really like those "extreme angle" fairleads for the cam cleats. Reason is that you are often sitting on the upwind side of the boat but the jib sheet you may need to control is on the downwind side of the boat. Not completely perfect.. but I think a nice addition for single handing. FYI, you really dont need the winch for the 110 jib.. Two cleat in that picture, one is the jib sheet, the other is the vang.
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You've already got some real good advice. I'll just mention my experience.
Tiller Auto pilot - I remember Joe suggesting that should be one of my first upgrades. It should have been but I waited a year. Should have got it sooner.
Tiller Clutch - (Not tamer) Not expensive and holds the tiller in place for those times you need it to stay in place. There are times you have to be hands on with the tiller, then need it to stay put for a minute. The tiller clutch is great for that.
I do agree with sailing for a season before embarking on a lot of upgrades. I bought my boat in October, sailed four times, then hauled it. I spent all winter buying things for it I thought I needed. Half of that money was wasted because what I needed was experience to know my sailing style and what was really worth while.
This spring will be my 5th getting it ready to sail. I have one more upgrade to do, a new traveler, and I am done except for maintenance.
At least until next spring.
Tiller Auto pilot - I remember Joe suggesting that should be one of my first upgrades. It should have been but I waited a year. Should have got it sooner.
Tiller Clutch - (Not tamer) Not expensive and holds the tiller in place for those times you need it to stay in place. There are times you have to be hands on with the tiller, then need it to stay put for a minute. The tiller clutch is great for that.
I do agree with sailing for a season before embarking on a lot of upgrades. I bought my boat in October, sailed four times, then hauled it. I spent all winter buying things for it I thought I needed. Half of that money was wasted because what I needed was experience to know my sailing style and what was really worth while.
This spring will be my 5th getting it ready to sail. I have one more upgrade to do, a new traveler, and I am done except for maintenance.
At least until next spring.
The extendable tiller handle is arguably the best investment you can make at this point. Not only does it allow you to move forward, if you look at putting the retainer device (they're different masted on the extension mfgr) someplace where the extension can be clipped in and easily released, you can use it as a tiller lock for short periods of time. I always found on my Mac that I could pick a rate of turn, lock it in, and attend to the sheets until the boat had turned to the new tack. (if that makes sense) Chances are you'll get to the point where you can just let it all go, and attend the sheets. The Mac seems to like being in a turn, once you initiate it.
Assuming your phone is waterproof.... then who do you call? Do you have phone numbers of nearby boats? A vhf will alert all radios in the area with one push of the button.... immediate response from whomever is monitoring ch 16/9...
If you're by yourself... stay attached to the boat.... that's my rule. Your boat, your life, your decision.
Tiller pilot vs tiller tamer or clutch: One thing I've noticed when using a device to hold my tiller in one spot is that if I need to go to the front of the boat, that changes the direction of the boat due to the weight shifting. Even though the boat may be under motor, it will still turn. I found that when raising the sails, I had to be pretty quick, otherwise the slight turning of the boat would prevent me from being straight into the wind. Once the sails were up, the drag would make the boat turn even further. Not a big deal in light or moderate winds, but in heavy winds, it was pretty sketchy. Some days I'd be sailing just fine, but when it came time to come in, the wind would pick up, and I was always scared of being able to get the sails down. So while the tiller tamer idea does help, there are times when it is inadequate.
A lot of good advise here. In fact, I don't think I could disagree with any of it. Before you purchase anything see if there are any tricks you can perform to help you decide if it's something you really want to invest in.
For instance, everyone has an unused piece of line sitting around so this little trick is basically free. Wrap a line 4 or 5 times around the tiller leaving it slightly slack and tie each end to opposite sides of the cockpit. Your tiller will act normal when the line is slack. Then when you wish to hold the tiller in one position simply slide the coils forward until the whole set-up becomes snug. To free the tiller simply slide the coils back again.
As far as the tiller extension goes, I added round head screw to the top of the tiller so that the head stands about 1/4" above the tiller. I then drilled a hole, just big enough to snap onto the screw head, a couple of inches above the hook of my boat hook. Thus my boat hook doubles as a tiller extension.
Although I use my tiller pilot for most single-handed operations it's nice to know that I have options incase I ever have issues with the electronics. It's also nice to be able to relax with my lady with one arm around her and the other on the tiller extension and not have to hear the constant squawk of the tiller pilot.
For instance, everyone has an unused piece of line sitting around so this little trick is basically free. Wrap a line 4 or 5 times around the tiller leaving it slightly slack and tie each end to opposite sides of the cockpit. Your tiller will act normal when the line is slack. Then when you wish to hold the tiller in one position simply slide the coils forward until the whole set-up becomes snug. To free the tiller simply slide the coils back again.
As far as the tiller extension goes, I added round head screw to the top of the tiller so that the head stands about 1/4" above the tiller. I then drilled a hole, just big enough to snap onto the screw head, a couple of inches above the hook of my boat hook. Thus my boat hook doubles as a tiller extension.
Although I use my tiller pilot for most single-handed operations it's nice to know that I have options incase I ever have issues with the electronics. It's also nice to be able to relax with my lady with one arm around her and the other on the tiller extension and not have to hear the constant squawk of the tiller pilot.
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